Insta-Interview
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What’s your name and year? Kerone Jones ’09.
Where are you from? Well, all over, but right now, Fairfax, Va., which is just outside of Washington, D.C. Every four to five years my family and I move. I was born in Nevis, in the Caribbean, in the West Indies. But my dad is in school a lot — he’s been in a lot of different Ph.D. programs. He recently got a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics and is now working for the United States Department of Agriculture.
Did you like living in many different places? How did it affect you socially? I like having a lot of different friends from different places. And, in college, it’s easy to re-connect with them. But, when I was younger and moved to a lot of different schools, it was definitely a challenge making friends. But now, in hindsight, I’m glad I moved around a lot.
Where do you live in Ithaca? I live in Balch — I’m a resident advisor in Unit 3, above the Tatkon Center. This is my first year being an R.A.
Where did you live as a sophomore? I lived in the Multicultural Living and Learning Unit in Clara Dickson Hall. I loved it — people were really open to talking about their backgrounds.
Why did you become an R.A.? Because I didn’t have a great first-year experience and wanted to have a positive impact on other people’s first-year experiences. It’s a way I can reconcile myself with my own first-year experience.
How are you improving the first-year experiences? Well, not much right now. But, I’m trying to plan cool programs. And, I also work in the Tatkon Center, which has a lot of programs for first-year students. I’m working on Into the Streets, which takes a group of Balch residents into the Ithaca community for service projects. I think it’s a good program for first-year students because as they see other people’s situations in the community, they can make sense of their own situations at Cornell.
What do you do for fun? Play around in Photoshop. I’m taking DEA 215: Digital Graphics. I have a friend in the class, too. And, I’m the publicity chair for the Caribbean Student Association and the Minority Student Funding Board. So, I’m using some of my new Photoshop skills on projects for these groups.
What does the CSA and MSFB do? The CSA brings activities and entertainment from the Caribbean to Cornell — we also talk a lot about politics and economics in the Caribbean. We focus more on black Caribbean culture. But, anyone is welcome to join the CSA. In mid-October, we’re going to a culture festival in Binghamton that will have dance hall, reggage and Soca music.
Do you consider yourself more Caribbean or American in culture? Well, definitely American food takes over when I’m at Cornell. And, American ways of thinking take over at Cornell, too — I get a lot more frantic and hectic about school and work. My Dad, on the other hand, does well in school but isn’t frantic about it. He’s more methodical and even-keeled.